Inside The Bahati's Empire

First, let's give credit where it's due, for a first, Kevin Bahati and EMB Entertainment have outdone themselves with the production, said to cost Sh47 million. 

The Bahati's Empire premiered on Netflix on June 7, as a six-episode series. The production value of the show was astounding and the quality of the video was superb. As the name suggests, the show was all about flaunting the ostentatious and opulent lifestyle of the Bahati's. 

From the luxurious cars, the endless shopping sprees, the exaggerated rich-talk, nothing was left to chance, even the styling was done to a T.  That's without even mentioning the elaborate make-up and a myriad of amazing wigs. Gaping where? Khanyi, take notes, if you know you know.

Whoever styled this team deserves a pay rise! However, as with any scripted reality show, there are hits and misses and The Bahati's missed the mark on a number of issues that we surely need to address.

Starting with the script, as the name suggests, we expected to see Bahati at work or Diana doing a rap song or two, but instead, we were bombarded episode after episode with conversations and scenes revolving around personal lives, or rather problems, of the Bahati's marriage. 

For instance, Bahati begins by taking his friends golfing, an amazing concept, but instead of us seeing the boys hitting some aces or eagles, the whole scene is spent talking about his wife Diana.

And this trend continues throughout the series. Yes, reality shows thrive on drama and unnecessary verbal attacks, but why was every single meeting Bahati had with his friends ended up talking about his marriage? 

Very private, confidential matters were shared with the entire world and anyone who cared to listen. Was that necessary? Inviting all your friends and family to your seventh anniversary, spending all that time and money to make sure everything was right, only to drop a cheating bomb on your wife is a low blow, scripted or not. 

Ironically, when Diana B sets him up with the Murayas to check on him, this is where he draws the line about marital matters being private.

This will probably ruffle some feathers, but what exactly do you mean by "a woman's duty is to empty a man"? Or having a say in what she does with her body? Or to lock her up at home after the wedding? 

And then, of course, the icing on the cake ends the series on a high with the demand for DNA testing of all their children.

The Who is Diana episode and its realness must also be lauded. This was the most emotional episode, telling how Diana grew up with her two sisters in the hands of an abusive father. Diana B may be many things, but this episode peeled back the mask and showed us the pain before the fame.

And how can we forget the appearances? The Bahati's empire had quite a few, which you could say is great for the show, but what value did they add? To have big names like Prince Indah, Prezzo and Bruce Melodie in the show without really making use of them seemed like a bit of a bust. Or should we expect the music collabos to roll out in the near future?

But how can we not love Jackie Matubia and Valerie, who made the drama as seamless as possible and at least making the show worth watching for us, if nothing else? 

Can you also tell me why every dramatic scene was left on a cliffhanger? Did Diana get the liposuction or not? Who compromised on the new home issue? How did you solve the problem of the revolting nannies? What about Bahati and the vixens? We need to know how the King and Queen, in their kingdom, settle disputes, or is everything just swept under an imaginary rug?